Arab Summit, Saudi king says airstrikes on Yemen will continue

SHAFAQNA – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman says the ongoing military invasion of Yemen by his country will continue until its goals are achieved.

He made the comments on Saturday at the opening session of an Arab summit held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Saudi king claimed that the goal of the Saudi air raids is to bring “security” to the people in Yemen.

The campaign “will continue until it achieves its goals for the Yemeni people to enjoy security,” he said.

Also on Saturday, Persian Gulf Arab diplomatic officials said the military campaign, which started on March 26, could last up to six months.

Riyadh resorted to the air raids in a bid to restore power to fugitive Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of the Saudi regime. Nearly 40 civilians have so far been killed in the airstrikes.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries. The Yemeni parliament did not approve his resignation back then.

Gradually, as the Yemeni government failed to provide security and properly run the affairs of the country, the Ansarullah fighters started to take control of state matters to contain corruption and terror.

The Ansarullah fighters took control of the Yemeni capital in September 2014 and are currently moving southward.

The fugitive president fled Aden to the Saudi capital city of Riyadh after Ansarullah revolutionaries advanced toward Aden, where he had sought to set up a rival power base and where he withdrew his resignation.

On Saturday, Hadi’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said the fugitive leader will not go back to his country “for now.”

“He (Hadi) will return to Aden once the chaos there comes under control,” Yassin added.

The Riyadh regime’s blatant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty comes against a backdrop of total silence on the part of international bodies, especially the UN.